NBA Observations

So, there I was at the zoo on Saturday and I started to to a guy in a Lakers shirt, about the game on Friday night and how there could possibly be any doubt about the whole Kobe as MVP discussion. Pondering this and other thoughts from what I saw of NBA basketball the last couple of days.

1. Kobe is The Man, hands down, period. LeBron may be more of a one man team than Kobe, but Kobe got to this point because he backed off on the 1 man team aspect of his game and got his team mate involved in games and helped them get better. But that point in Friday nights game, when it looked like Utah might get all the way back into the game, Kobe turned on a switch you very rarely see, even in the best of the best players. And just took over the game, that And 1 shot was just astounding.

2. Kevin Garnett is an amazing athlete and specimen, but he clearly lacks the switch to just take over a game that Kobe and other have. Especially in the game Friday night, I don't know how many times I saw him have a clear run to the basket, a chance for a seriously demoralizing play for the Cavs, and he would start the drive and then just stop and pass the ball or take a short fade away. Just staggering, and in both Friday and Sunday's games how many times did a guard drive into the lane and then pass the ball out to the 7 foot Garnett for another jump shot, when he should have been inside, dominating the post.

3. While the game yesterday was reminiscent of the Dominique-Bird duel, it was not the same. So much of that game was just a up and down tit for tat contest, to where you almost expected everyone else to stop playing and just watch. Whereas yesterday was more Pierce stepping up, realizing that Garnett was again going to play the shrinking violet, and LeBron just being LeBron. There was never the sense that either player was getting to the point of playing 'can you top this', like the Bird-Dominique game. That game almost felt like a game of horse. And of course the killer point for that game was Kevin McHale's 3 at the end, when his foot was clearly on the line (not that I am bitter about it).

4. At least there was some offense yesterday, I was beginning to wonder on Friday night, when the Lakers had equaled the Cavs total points by very early in the 4th quarter. Which brings me to my final point. While the Lakers may not play superior defense I think that they will still demolish either Eastern team because they have more than 1 player who can score. And that also goes for the Spurs and Hornets. The Eastern teams will have Home Court, but for all that great defense I don't think either Boston or Detroit can beat the Western Teams.